Childress was a rock on Oilers' line for 11 seasons

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Ray Childress was a stalwart for the Houston Oilers on the defensive line.

CORPUS CHRISTI - Ray Childress was not a loud, look-at-me player, but what he did on the football field spoke volumes.

Childress, one of the most popular Houston Oilers of the 1980s and 1990s, was an overwhelming pick for the all-time Houston pro football team as selected by caller.com readers. He joins Curley Culp in manning the middle of the defensive line.

Childress was naturally popular in Houston. He attended Richardson Pearce High School, Texas A&M and was the third overall choice in the 1985 NFL Draft. He also started a charitable foundation in Houston. So the Texas ties were there.

So was the style of play. He was durable, suiting up in more than 150 games in an Oilers uniform. Childress played his first five seasons with Houston as a defensive end and, when asked to move to defensive tackle for the 1990 season, obliged with four consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl. In 1993, he anchored the NFL's top rushing defense.

Childress also became one of the team's leaders.

"Ray taught me a lot about the game of football," said cornerback Cris Dishman, who was Childress' teammate at Houston. "He kind of pulled me to the side and told me this is how things should be done, really talked to me about how to play football and how to study film.

"It was great to be around a guy like Ray Childress. He wasn't too vocal, but he would lead with his actions."

The quiet leadership obviously did not translate to meek play. He mixed it up on the practice field with the likes of Hall of Fame offensive linemen Bruce Matthews and Mike Munchak. Childress did not give an inch.

"Going against guys like Ray made you better," Matthews said. "We had some real battles when we were younger, but settled down a little bit when we got older. He always was a real competitor."

Readers were asked to vote on caller.com for an all-time Houston pro football team, with a parameter being that players were to be judged only on their performance with the Oilers and Texans. The following is the result of voting for interior defensive linemen. Two were selected to the team.